


The Rose That Grew From Concrete

by angry_ace



Series: Visiting Family [1]
Category: On the Come Up - Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give (2018), The Hate U Give - All Media Types, The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give Universe
Genre: F/M, Meet the Family, Visiting a relative in prison, flower shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-03-10 00:09:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18927334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angry_ace/pseuds/angry_ace
Summary: Curtis buys Bri some flowers for their anniversary, but runs into her at the shop. He realizes there that their anniversary is the same day Aunt Pooh was arrested, and they go visit her together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from a Tupac song (how do I insert links nicely into notes ugh) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ScYgXAUORI I thought it really well represents the Lawson family, and Pooh, and the Curtis/Bri relationship very well.
> 
> I love THUG and On the Come Up So Much, they're both so good and deserve some fucking fanfic

Everybody knows that anniversaries are important. Curtis certainly did. That’s why he had taken the time after school to buy flowers, real ones from a florist. He’d had trouble with finding a bouquet. He didn’t just want to ask his grandmother to give him flowers from her garden, Bri would recognize them and he wanted her to know he cared enough to spend money on her. 

Shopping in the uptown neighborhood where they went to school provided less than thrilling options of flowers, none of them really felt like Bri. The flowers he could find in the Garden might as well have been bought in a grocery store.

  
  


It looked about like he would be giving up and buying Bri thoughtless chocolates, but his grandmother, busybody that she was, could tell something was wrong and would not rest until she pried it from him.

  
  


He was glad she did. She ended up giving him the information of a Garden Heights florist who she was friends with.

  
  


The selection was amazing, it ended up being larger than both his failed attempts, and within his price range too. He’d ordered a bouquet of black lilies, known colloquially as monkey tails, and seeplakkie. The bouquet was small, he was splurging, but not made of money after all. But Bri wouldn’t mind, she wasn’t greedy like that, and as far as he knew she’d never been given flowers before. He thought she might like a candy bar bouquet but nixed the idea after recalling her lingering tenderness over the drug dealer incident. She would love the flowers, hopefully. After a year of dating, flowers alone could not do justice to the B-R-I-liiant Bri.

  
  


It was time of course to get the flowers for Bri; they were already bought and paid for; they just needed to be picked up.

  
  


He pushed open the door and saw some familiar black braids on a familiar girl at the counter also picking up flowers.

  
  


“Bri?”

  
  


She turned around. “Curtis?”

  
  


The boy at the counter passed over the flowers to Brianna.

  
  


“Thanks Robert,” she said politely.

  
  


“Are those for me?” he asked, flattered that she’d thought of him.

  
  


“Oh. Um, they’re for Aunt Pooh.”

  
  


And suddenly Curtis felt like an idiot.  _ How could he have forgotten that their anniversary was also the day her aunt got arrested? What kind of boyfriend could forget that?” _

  
  


“Oh?”

  
  


“I got your Nikes cleaned by this girl in the Garden, Starr, cause they were gettin’ kind of stanky.”

  
  


“So that’s where they went.”

  
  


“They’re at my place right now, I was going to give them to you at school, but if you want them back now—”

  
  


“Bri. It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Curtis approached the counter. “I’m here to pick up a bouquet of seeplakie and black stick lilies for my girlfriend.”

  
  


“Oh Curtis,” Bri mumbled.

  
  


“I’ll be right back with those sir,” the shop boy said before disappearing into a back room.

  
  


“You going to visit Pooh today?”

  
  


“Yeah. My mom’s just outside, she didn’t want to come in the store.”

  
  


In a fit of impulsiveness he asked, “Can I come with?”

  
  


Bri hesitated for a moment before saying, “If that’s what you want.”

  
  


Robert returned with the flowers and said, “It looks like you already paid online. Have a nice day sir.”

  
  


“You too,” Curtis spoke absently as he left the florist’s with Bri.

  
  


Curtis held his flowers out to Brianna. “These are for you.”

  
  


“Thanks Curtis. I’d say give them to my aunt, but I don’t think she needs two whole bouquets.” She sniffs the bouquet. “These are amazing Curtis. I love you so much.” Bri gave him a kiss which was interrupted by her mom honking her car horn.

  
  


They both chuckled and climbed in the car. Bri riding shotgun and curtis in the back.

  
  


“Curtis what you doing here?” Mrs. Lawson asked.

  
  


“I’m coming to meet Aunt Pooh.”

  
  


“You good with this Bri?” her mother asked.

  
  


“If you are.”

  
  


“Alright Curtis,” Mrs. Lawson said. “Buckle up.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curtis gets to speak to Aunt Pooh

Phones had to stay in the car, so did purses, and Curtis left his belt just in case.

 

The flowers had to be brought to staff, and were announced ahead of time. They couldn’t even give Pooh the flowers they’d bought themselves, the staff would do it apparently. 

 

Mrs. Jackson seemed to be side-eyeing him like she couldn’t understand what had motivated him to drive up to visit someone else’s family in prison; she was also side-eyeing Bri because she knew what Curtis’ motivation was.

 

“You ready Mom?” Bri asked. Curtis was pleased to see her referring to Mrs. Jackson as “Mom” instead of “Jay”, their relationship had developed so much; Brianna was working on her trust-issues, especially in relation to her mother.”

 

“I am if you are baby.”

 

“Of course,” she sniffs, “we didn’t drive up here for nothin’. It’s a shame that Lena couldn’t join us.”

 

“Lena has to work today. She’s such an upstart.”

 

“Aunt Pooh chose well with her.”

 

“She certainly did.”

 

The trio entered the building and passed through security. Security was as much of a nightmare as Curtis had remembered it to be. He didn’t like the way the guards looked at him, like he wasn’t good enough, like he was a threat. It made it worse to be here with his girlfriend, knowing that she was not only good enough, but the best of them. She wasn’t a threat either; she could stand up for herself, but only if you threatened her first. Curtis loved that Brianna didn’t allow herself to be anybody’s doormat, even though people gave her shit for being a “stereotypical hood-rat”, those people don’t know her or what they were talking about. In Curtis’ opinion, anybody who didn’t admire Bri for her authentic and courageous self, had their head up their ass. So of course the guards looking at her and her mom like they weren’t shit pissed him off. That wasn’t right and it wasn’t at all fair. The whole situation was unfair, but if Curtis dwelled on it, he wouldn’t be able to meet Pooh with a cheerful attitude, or any attitude but a morbid one.

 

Getting to Pooh took some time and borderline humiliation, but they did get to see her, which was what really mattered. They met her in what kind of looked like a cafeteria, a room full of tables where inmates sat with their families and other visitors.

 

“Bri! Jayda!” Pooh greeted excitedly. She looked at Curtis, “Who’s your friend?”

 

“Aunt Pooh, this is Curtis Brinkley. He’s… my boyfriend.” Bri took Curtis’ hand.

 

“Boyfriend? You didn’t tell me about no boyfriend in your letters.” Bri wrote her aunt letters; how sweet. I should write my moms letters too.

 

“I wanted to tell you about Curtis in person Aunty.”

 

Pooh looked at Mrs. Jackson. “He takin’ good care of her, Jayda?”

 

“Curtis is a fine young man Katricia.”

 

“Katricia? You going’ for a formal greeting Jayda.”

 

“Formal? With you?” Mrs. Jackson reached out like she wanted to touch her sister but stopped herself. Touching inmates wasn’t allowed.

 

The whole party grimaced at the aborted movement.

 

“How you been Pooh?” Mrs. Jackson asked tenderly.

 

“Can’t complain. How ‘bout you? Lena? Scrap? How’s the Garden lookin’.”

 

“All good. I found a job, part-time, but it’s good to be workin’.”

 

Pooh forced herself to smile. “That is good.”

 

“Lena misses you. Does she visit?” Bri asked.

 

“She does as much as she can, but it’s hard for her to get up here often. She writes. She puts money in my commissary account. Don’t you worry Bri, your Aunt Lena still thinks of me.”

 

“Aunt Lena? Since when has she been Aunt Lena.”

 

“Well it’s not official, but we’ve been talking about having a courthouse wedding once I get out.”

 

“That’s great!” Bri and Mrs. Jackson said in unison.

 

“I’m happy for you Pooh,” Mrs. Jackson said.

 

“Is Lena allowed to know we know?” Curtis asked.

 

“You know Lena?”

 

“Course I do. What kind of boyfriend doesn’t know the family?”

 

“I don’t know.” She looks at Bri. “What kind of aunt doesn’t know about the boyfriend?”

 

“Sorry Aunt Pooh,” Bri apologized sheepishly.

 

“Well I’ve heard all about you Ms. Bordeaux. Bri always talkin’ bout how cool and supportive you are.”

 

“Ms. Bordeaux? Bri you got one with manners.” Bri smiled at Pooh’s words. “I’m glad to know that Bri talks about me, and you can call me Pooh, everyone does.”

 

“I am thrilled to meet you Pooh. This whole family is just amazing.”

 

The women at the table smiled, and Curtis knew he’d done well.

 

Bri took his hand and launched into family conversation with her aunt as though the guards, other inmates, and their families didn’t exist. Curtis was content to just watch her speak and be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing for a non-existent audience and non-existent fandom. I'm gonna turn this into a series for you non-existent readers. It's really for me lol.

**Author's Note:**

> Still don't know how to insert a link neatly but I'm gonna link the flowers Curtis bought Bri.
> 
> Seeplakkie- https://www.google.com/search?q=seeplakkie&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS807US811&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwibyqX326HiAhXxN30KHb6jDSAQ_AUICSgA&biw=1366&bih=657&dpr=1
> 
> Monkey's Tail/ Black Stick Lily- http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_monkeys_tail.html


End file.
